The Victorian underemployment rate reached a record high of 8% in August 2009, according to an article released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The underemployment rate since decreased to slightly below 7% in November 2010.

During 2009, almost all underemployed workers in Victoria were employed part-time, just over half would have preferred full-time hours, and around half were looking for work with more hours.

Females and males experienced underemployment differently:

Throughout the last three decades there have been more female underemployed workers than males in Victoria.

Approximately three-quarters of underemployed males would have preferred to work full-time hours compared to less than half of females.

Underemployed males looking for work with more hours were more likely than females to register with Centrelink (24% and 11% respectively) and contact an employment agency (25% and 9% respectively).

Approximately two-thirds of females would ask their current employer for work with more hours compared to just over half of males.

The majority of underemployed workers in Victoria were aged 15 to 34. Older and younger underemployed workers in Victoria had different preferences and experiences to the rest of underemployed workers:

Nearly 60% of underemployed workers aged 15 to 19 years would have preferred their total hours to be part-time, as would 62% of underemployed workers aged 55 years and over.

The majority of underemployed workers aged 20 to 54 years would have preferred to work full-time hours.

Older underemployed workers were more likely to prefer not to change their situation to gain work with more hours. Approximately two-thirds of those aged 55 years and over would prefer not to change their occupation, nearly three quarters would prefer not to change their employer and over three quarters would not move within Victoria to gain work with more hours.

Further information is available in State and Regional Indicators, Victoria, December 2010 (cat. no. 1367.2).

Media note:
When reporting ABS data the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.

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